(Newser)
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Earlier stories hinted at it, but now a slew of reports are asserting that Dennis Hastert got into trouble with the feds because he was trying to cover up a sex scandal involving a former student. Outlets including the Chicago Tribune, the Washington Post, the New York Times, and CNN quote anonymous sources with the same general story: Hastert allegedly molested a male student decades ago when he was a wrestling coach in Yorkville, Ill. The former student met with Hastert in 2010, and Hastert agreed to pay $3.5 million to keep the story quiet, says the FBI. Hastert is not facing any charges related to the sexual allegations because authorities can't corroborate them, reports the Post. Instead, he's accused of making illegal bank withdrawals and lying to the FBI about them.

"It was sex," a source tells the Tribune. “It goes back a long way," he adds. “It has nothing to do with public corruption or a corruption scandal. Or to his time in office.” The man identified only as Individual A in court papers "told the F.B.I. that he had been inappropriately touched by Mr. Hastert when Mr. Hastert was a high school teacher and wrestling coach," reports the Times. Hastert worked as a teacher and coach in Yorkville from 1965 to 1981 before entering politics. His old school district released a statement today saying it "has no knowledge of Mr. Hastert's alleged misconduct, nor has any individual contacted the District to report any such misconduct," reports CNN.